Annual 2025 Gonzo Gear Guide

Black Friday, here we go again!

Black Friday sales have already kicked off with the Thanksgiving holiday, and if you’re like me, you’ve got a gear wish list together of stuff you either dream about, or have to buy if it’s on sale.

Well, if you are like me, you’ll probably plan on buying it anyway, even if it isn’t on sale!

Since the number one questions I get here deal with devices, and the stuff I use to make Photowalks, I wanted to update you on what’s in my bag, and new toys I hope to have in there soon. (Watch the video below for my weekly Scripps News segment with Holly Firfer, talking Black Friday.)

Camera

I own a Pixel, Samsung Galaxy and several iPhones. My phone of choice is the iPhone for two simple reasons: I believe the picture quality to be superior, especially for video, with less fake picture enhancements than the others. Plus, the ease of moving files from the phone to my Mac via Apple’s AirDrop is something I haven’t seen replicated elsewhere. (Google finally put out its answer to AirDrop this week, but only on the latest phones.)

As I’ve written here, if you have an older iPhone, pre iPhone 15, it’s time to upgrade to the 17 Pro models. If you have a 15 or 16, the photo differences are hard to tell unless you’ve got a keen eye. I see them big time however, and wouldn’t want to use any other iPhone model for photography. The new Selfie camera is higher resolution and gives you a wider view and that’s a big plus for me. (For more on why to upgrade, read the Lighting section below.)

I also own a Sony A7IV which I love and use for professional paid portrait gigs. My beloved lens is the 70-200mm 2.8 G Master. I wouldn’t use it for travel photography, for the bulk and the issues I’ve had in the past plus theft.

Audio

The internal microphone on phones are better than they used to be, but they still pick up background sound (buses driving by, people talking on the street) so if you want to do a professional production, you need pro external mics.

I swear by the Rode Wireless Micro models, which are the best ones I’ve ever used for mobile photography (and I’ve used them all!) Rode gives you two mics (for you and the interviewee) and a transmitter that connects directly to the USB-C charging port of the iPhone, Galaxy or Pixel. I paid $150 for them a year ago; now Amazon is Black Friday selling them for $83.

Tripod

Surprisingly, this is one of the most common questions I get. Many people want a small tripod to walk around with and for good reason. With a tripod, you can take group shots on the timer, produce great timelapse videos and much more.

For years I’ve been touting the $25 Insta360 Selfie Stick which turns into a four foot tripod, and I still love it. A new model from Small Rig, the Drex Lee Boom goes one better, at 4.8 feet and you don’t need to also buy a phone tripod mount—the Boom has MagSafe, allowing you to snap the phone (or Android phone case) directly on it. Plus, you can tilt the phone up or down, something you can’t do with the Insta360 stick. It sells for $32.

For the large tripod, I had sworn by the Peak Design Travel Tripod, but I have been looking at it in the past tense. I left it behind on an Amtrak in Washington, DC by mistake and hadn’t gotten around to buying the exact replacement. Pricey, at $700, I loved it anyway, as it was lighter yet sturdy, a joy to tote around and easy to set up. That said, Peak Design has a cheaper model, with what I have to believe is less sturdy materials, and it starts at $400. However, Amazon just Black Friday’d this baby to $319, and I bought it. I’ll let you know how the cheaper model compares.

What about a small tabletop tripod? I don’t use them, but I know many of you do. The negatives are many: they are so small, you won’t get very high. Even if you wanted to do a Zoom call with it, it would be very hard to get to eye level. But, if you insist: this Manfrotto model has a built-in phone mount, so you won’t have to buy a second one for some of the more full-featured compact tripods. Amazon offers it for just under $40.

Cool accessory

The Platypod was originally designed to deal with the tripod police, those pesky guards who tell you that no tripods are allowed. So what about a little plate that you could connect your camera to, and have it attached to a tree trunk, a table, something like that? Especially helpful for getting low shots. It’s not cheap—the plate sells for $70. I like the new Handle, a tripod extender which gives you tripod height on a smaller scale. It lives on my desk, where it’s especially useful for overhead product shots, which I do all the time for tutorials.

Solid State drive

My iPhone fills up very fast, and media has to be moved to make room for more. I swear by the Samsung T7 series of compact drives, which unlike the bigger, traditional hard drive, has no moving parts. I edit every Photowalks episode on one of these babies, and when I’m done, transfer the project to two bigger drives for backup. The prices have gone up since I bought the last one ( a 4 terabyte model) for $200 in 2024—thank you tariffs!. As of presstime, Amazon was selling them for $350, but perhaps the Black Friday sale will find discounts!

Big drive

I like the OWC dual-drive dock, which lets me swap new drives when the old ones fill up. This week I replaced the two 16 TB drives with 2 24 TBs, which hopefully will last me through the first half of 2026! I bought them for $240 each at Newegg, which was $260 less than Amazon was selling them for. (Really!) Don’t forget to always comparison shop!

Cage

You’ll notice that I’m often seen on Photowalks with a “cage” over the iPhone which allows me to place other accessories atop it (like a light) and have two extension arms on the side to hold it steadier. With the iPhone 17 Pro, I had to upgrade to new cages. I got the Neewer model and also sprung for one from Small Rig. The Neewer is pretty good, but the cage blocks the use of my beloved microphone, so I could only use it for B-roll. With the arm attachments, it produces steadier video than I would get handheld.

Drone

Nothing screams travel video like the use of a drone soaring above the city. I have the DJI Mini 4 Pro, but buyer beware, it’s become much harder to snag a drone. DJI, the Chinese company that makes them, has responded to the tariffs and an administration down on Chinese companies by declining to make their new (and improved) ones available for sale here. Additionally—every major drone by DJI, including the Mini 4, Mavic 3, Air, Flip and Neo are “out of stock,” and unavailable.on the DJI website. So if you want to pick up a flying camera, know that you’ll be putting in a yeoman’s effort to get one. (The Mini 4 Pro that I paid $999 for when the ocean ate my previous drone on the last day of 2023 is selling for just under $1,500 on Amazon.)

360

This year we saw GoPro finally fight back against Insta360’s total clone of the action camera’s business model. With Max2, GoPro introduced a waterproof 360 camera that can double as a regular GoPro, with tripod mounts and lens caps to protect the two lens from scratching. At $500, it’s $50 less than Insta360’s latest, the X5, which can do all the same things as the Max2, with one huge advantage, in software. With 360 footage, you have to import it to the computer, phone or tablet and convert it into shareable clips. GoPro’s software is shockingly slow and inferior to what Insta360 has, and without the software, you’ve got nothing to work with. A traditional GoPro, the Hero13, sells for just over $300. I use the Hero 11 for driving shots on Photowalks and the X5 for walking shots—sometimes. The 360 thing is a nice touch, but only in small doses.

Gimbel

One of the common questions I get is about gimbels, what stabilizer do I use with the phone for steadier shots? Again, I’ve tried them all, the DJI Osmo, the Insta360 Flow, et. all, and the response is always the same. The improvement in the image is so slight—like in the 1-2% range, so what’s the point? It’s just another accessory you need to take out with you, set up and deal with, when the beauty of filming on a phone is that you don’t have to lug stuff!

I’ve changed my tune though with the new GoPro Fluid, which sells for $229, about $75 more than the DJI and Insta360 models, is truly steady, easier to setup, can be used with either your phone or GoPro camera and you’ll see the difference in your footage.

Computer

I use a 2021 MacBook Pro with M1 chip to edit all the Photowalks episodes. I also have an M4 MacMini from 2024 on my desk, but I gravitate to the laptop, just because I love working remotely, and I haven’t seen any speed advantages with the M4 over the M1. Go figure.

Really helpful accessory

I have an Anker charging cube on my desk that I bought when it was on sale, and it’s grown to be so useful. It plugs into the wall for power, and thus, on my desk, I have 4 USB-C inputs and 2 for the older USB-A. I power my computer with it, and there’s another 3-prong plug for anything else I want to charge up. And they’re surge protected. I originally thought I’d travel with it and use in hotel rooms, but I found it so versatile and helpful that it just stays in place on my desk. Highly recommended for everyone reading this newsletter. It sells for $40.

Charger

Speaking of the hotel room charger, the Ugreen 65W charger is a godsend, with three USB-C slots to charge up multiple phones and something else (mics, GoPro, Insta360) in one of those hard to find hotel room wall outlets. You can bring an iPhone back to life in about 30 minutes with one of these guys.

Lighting

The other night I was at an event and my friend Grace was there with her older iPhone, the 14 model. She tried taking a video, until Apple told her that she needed more light to continue. “What do I do Jeff?” she asked.

First, I gave her my phone, which was a 16 Pro (the one in my pocket) to get the clips, and there was no issues. The new models really are better in low light.

But beyond buying a new phone, there’s a really easy accessory to buy to solve the problem. A light.

A little LED light can be all yours for around $90. And it will go a long way to making Grace happy. (You’ll also need another accessory to fit the light atop the phone.)

There are several new lights that snap onto the phone itself via MagSafe that would be great for Grace, and anyone else struggling with lighting issues, for under $100. The Harlowe Sol 5 is $90 (check for Black Friday discounts) as is a ShiftCam model. There are models available in the $20 range from the likes of Neewer and Ulanzi, but don’t waste your money. They won’t emit much light.

What I want for Christmas

If I want something, I buy it—though as I said, sometimes inertia plays a big role in stopping me. If these things are on sale, here’s what I yearn for:

• New MacBook Pro 16 with M4 chip. Because why not? Three years of using a laptop every day, all day, 365 days a year means that after 1000 days, it’s time for a newer, shiner one. But at $3,500, (maxed out) it’s a rather big bite. (However see that Apple has the once a year sale—I might get a $250 gift card for buying a new Mac! Or better. Hmm…)

• A custom built NAS system. Because I have 70 TBs worth of drives on my desk, and it’s time to be a grown up and have an adult system. If there are any Black Friday deals on racks and networking gear, I’m in.

• A 100 inch OLED Samsung TV. Because every time I go to Costco, I drool. The colors are so rich and vibrant. I can only imagine what Jimmy Kimmel will/would like when I add another 30 inches (I currently max out at 70) to his televised image.

• Elgato Teleprompter. I bought the Elgato Prompter when it was released two years ago, and it changed my life. Yeah, I make videos for a living, and being able to put a 22 minute script into the Prompter and read along is something that’s great to have. It also works really nicely for Zoom calls, in making eye contact with the other person. But the screen is too small. It’s hard to see. The new edition is twice the size, (and price, $599 from $299) but for some dumb reason, Elgato announced the product weeks ago—and has yet to release it. “Notify me when it’s available” is the cryptic message on its website. Really?

• And a Fender Stratocaster. I’ve got the Tele, and 12 other guitars, but there’s always room for a new one.

What’s on your list for this year? I’d love to hear all about it.

It’s been raining in Los Angeles this week. That may sound ordinary to you, but here in SoCal, it’s a rare occurence. And of course, when it rains, the sunrises and sunsets are amazing.

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ICYMI:

How a former USA Today columnist launched his own travel channel on YouTube

As always, a big thanks to everyone for taking the time to read, watch and listen. In tomorrow’s edition I’m going to tell you about a great giveaway we’ve got in the works—perfect for the holidays.

Talk tomorrow!

Jeff